U.S. House of Representatives Votes to Repeal Climate Science

The House voted 255-172 to repeal climate science today. I am not making this up. Section 2(b)(4) of H.R.910, sponsored by Congressman Fred Upton (R-MI) says, in part:

`(4) CERTAIN PRIOR AGENCY ACTIONS- The following rules and actions (including any supplement or revision to such rules and actions) are repealed and shall have no legal effect: ...

`(B) `Endangerment and Cause or Contribute Findings for Greenhouse Gases Under Section 202(a) of the Clean Air Act', published at 74 Fed. Reg. 66496 (December 15, 2009). ...(emphasis added)

Let me translate. Subparagraph (B) refers to EPA’s formal finding, based on an extensive scientific record, that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare (and that emissions from motor vehicles “cause or contribute” to these harms.)

On Tuesday I spoke to a Congressman who said he was leaning toward voting for this bill. He said he wanted to send a message to EPA. I asked him to consider what message he would be sending by voting for a bill to repeal science. He said the bill didn’t repeal science. We sent him the citation. He voted for it anyway.

The Upton bill is extreme and misguided in many, many ways. But for me, even after more than 20 years in Washington, watching 255 Members of Congress vote to repeal science is still stunning.

No wonder the rest of the country thinks Washington is out of touch with reality.

The problem with guys like you, Dan, is that you're in what they call the reality-based community, you "believe that solutions emerge from your judicious study of discernible reality. ... That's not the way the world really works anymore ... We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality." Yeah, right. From a faith-based perspective, it sounds to me that people like Karl Rove and these legislators now think they're God. Even science does not presume so much.

So everything I learned studying with Lonnie Thompson, one of the renowned ice core paleoclimatologists, is a complete fabrication? We're not talking about theology, we're talking about greenhouse gas which is backed by years of research and scientific FACTS.

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